First Step Job Training Program

Roughly 80 percent of those living in NYC homeless shelters are families — mostly single mothers and their children. These women face a tremendous array of obstacles to stability, including a lack of full-time employment, low educational attainment, and self-esteem shattered by domestic abuse.

The Coalition’s First Step Job Training Program was launched in 1991 to give homeless and low-income women the training, social support, education and work experience they need to overcome those obstacles, empowering them to build a better life for themselves and their families.

First Step offers six 14-week classes serving roughly 140 women per year. Our innovative curriculum includes over 100 hours of computer instruction, along with literacy workshops, communication and interpersonal skills development, and other hands-on activities that give students a thorough and practical understanding of the job market and workplace. First Step also places students in internships with major corporations or non-profit organizations, and offers ongoing mentoring by experienced professionals.

First Step’s success derives from our holistic approach: We provide the skills training critical to succeed in an office environment, along with the social service support our students need to prosper in their personal lives. We also provide a lifetime of post-graduate services, including job placement assistance, ongoing mentoring from staff and volunteers, support groups, additional training seminars, and numerous networking opportunities with alumni and business professionals.

If you have questions about First Step or if you would like to sign up for an Informational Session, please call 212-776-2074.

How You Can Help

Individuals

Volunteer as a:

Student Mentor

Mock Interviewer

Guest Lecturer

We also accept donations of new or dry-cleaned work attire for women.

Organizations

Join some of NYC’s most renowned corporations, non-profits and law firms by: